Found 110 talks archived in Telescopes and instrumentation

The robotic 2m Liverpool Telescope, based on La Palma, is owned and
operated by Liverpool John Moores University. It has a diverse
instrument suite and a strong track record in time domain science,
with highlights including early time photometry and spectra of
supernovae, measurements of the polarization of gamma-ray burst
afterglows, and high cadence light curves of transiting extrasolar
planets. In the next decade the time domain will become an
increasingly prominent part of the astronomical agenda with the
arrival of new facilities such as LSST, SKA, CTA, Gaia and the next
generation of exoplanet finders. Additionally, detections of
astrophysical gravitational wave and neutrino sources opening new
windows on the transient universe. To capitalise on this exciting new
era we intend to build Liverpool Telescope 2: a new robotic facility
on La Palma dedicated to time domain science. The next generation of
survey facilities will discover large numbers of variable and
transient objects, but there will be a pressing need for follow-up
observations for scientific exploitation, in particular spectroscopic
follow-up. Liverpool Telescope 2 will have a 4 metre aperture,
enabling optical/infrared spectroscopy of faint objects. Robotic
telescopes are capable of rapid reaction to unpredictable phenomena,
and for fast-fading transients like gamma-ray burst afterglows, this
rapid reaction enables observations which would be impossible on less
agile telescopes of much larger aperture. We intend Liverpool
Telescope 2 to have a world-leading response time, with the aim that
we will be taking data with a few tens of seconds of receipt of a
trigger from a ground- or space-based transient detection facility. In
this talk I will discuss the role for Liverpool Telescope 2 in the
2020+ astronomical landscape, the key science topics we hope to
address, and the results of our preliminary optical design studies.

Se revisará el estado de los instrumentos instalados en los telescopios del Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos (ORM) y del Observatorio del Teide (OT). Se hará una breve introducción para hablar sobre las diferentes maneras de acceder a tiempo de telescopio (anuncios de oportunidad normales, noches de servicio y DDT). El objetivo de esta charla es ayudar a preparar propuestas de observación para el semestre 14A. Habrá tiempo para preguntas y comentarios.

CanariCam is the GTC multi-mode mid-IR camera developed by the University of Florida. CanariCam commissioning began in earnest in
 mid-2012, and is still in progress. However, during that time it was also possible to begin science observations. After commenting on
 the current status of CanariCam, I will present some highlights of these early science observations, with an emphasis on those of protoplanetary disks. These data are still being analyzed and interpreted, so my comments will be preliminary. However, they demonstrate that CanariCam is an outstanding instrument that can provide valuable insight into a variety of astrophysical processes. CanariCam's polarimetric mode is particularly unique, and I will show intriguing science results that may indicate the magnetic-field distribution
in a YSO outflow and in massive disks and their environments. I am presenting these results on behalf of the CanariCam Science Team, many of whom have contributed significantly to the early progress with CanariCam.

The Southeastern Association for Research in Astronomy (SARA) is a consortium of 11 US universities that currently remotely operates a 0.9 m telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory and a 0.6 m telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory. Collectively, the SARA institutes predominantly use differential photometry techniques for studies ranging in scale from solar system asteroids and minor planets, to transiting exo-planets, most types of variable stars and binaries, to active galactic nuclei and blazers. In addition, the SARA telescopes are frequently used in preliminary observations for other major observatories (HST, for example). In this talk a brief history and the philosophy of SARA will be given, as well as more details on the current types of scientific programs run by the SARA institutes. The new scientific opportunities enabled by the JKT will also be highlighted. Finally, our development and funding plans will be presented. A description of the telescope automat ion process by Astronomical Consultants & Equipment, Inc. will conclude.

The visible survey spectrometers, VIMOS and FLAMES, have need in successful operation for nearly a decade. and within the next few weeks these will be joined by KMOS and near IR mulit-IFU spectrometer. There are also two new instruments in their early design stages, MOONS a near IR Fibre fed spectrometer and 4MOST a visible fibre fed spectrometer. This talk will present these instruments and the observing opportunity that these will provide.

CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exoearths with Near-infrared and optical Échelle Spectrographs) is a next-generation instrument being built for the 3.5m telescope at the Calar Alto Observatory by a consortium of German and Spanish institutions. It consists of two separated spectrographs covering the wavelength ranges from 0.5 to 1.0 mum and from 1.0 to 1.7 mum with spectral resolutions R = 82,000, each of which shall perform high-accuracy radial-velocity measurements (~1 m/s) with long-term stability. The fundamental science objective of CARMENES is to carry out a survey of ~300 late-type main-sequence stars with the goal of detecting low-mass planets in their habitable zones. We aim at being able to detect 2 MEarth planets in the habitable zone of M5V stars. The CARMENES first light is expected to occur in Spring 2014.

The status of instrumentation at the ORM/OT telescopes will be reviewed. A short introduction regarding the different ways to access telescope time (normal call for proposals, service nights and DDT) will also be given. The aim of this talk is to help preparing observing proposals for the coming semester 13A. Questions/comments are welcome.

Golden Age of Astronomy” does not only influence professional but also amateur astronomy. Today, amateurs basically use the same technologies as the professionals. This includes the most important tool – spectroscopy. There is an important gap in professional astronomical spectroscopy which can be filled by amateurs and their smaller telescopes. Some stellar phenomena need longer time coverage, of order, e.g., some weeks. This is especially valid for binary stars. One such interesting target is Wolf-Rayet 140, a WR+O binary with a highly eccentric orbit and a period of about 8 years. The observation of its periastron passage in the visible wavelength range is valuable for measurements in other wavelength domains to understand the wind-wind shock interaction of both components and the global geometry and physics of the system. For this and some other massive star targets, a group of amateur and professional astronomers performed a successful campaign for 116 nights at the 50 cm Mons telescope at Teide observatory, supported by the IAC and embedded in a joint worldwide X-ray, visual and IR campaign. The group of observers was a mix of enthusiastic astronomers from various professions (e.g., physicists, a physics student, a chemist, a physician, a schoolboy, a pilot) but they all have been experienced and enthusiastic observers. The talk will highlight the most important results of this campaign

The status of instrumentation at GTC and other ORM/OT telescopes will be reviewed. A short introduction regarding the different ways to access telescope time (normal call for proposals, service nights and DDT) will also be given. The aim of this talk is to help preparing observing proposals for the coming semester 12B.

The European Space Agency's Planck satellite was launched on 14 May 2009, and has been surveying the sky stably and continuously since 13 August 2009. Its performance is well in line with expectations, and it will continue to gather scientific data until the end of its cryogenic lifetime. I will present the first scientific results of the mission, which appeared as a series of 26 papers at the beginning of this year 2011, covering a variety of astrophysical topics. In particular, I will focus on the results on galactic diffuse emissions, as well as the first results on galaxy clusters detected by means of the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect.